Valmisteluksi

Valmisteluksi is a Finnish word formed as the translative case of the noun valmistelu, meaning preparation. The translative suffix -ksi indicates becoming into or functioning as something, so valmisteluksi literally means “as preparation” or “for use as preparation.” In Finnish texts, it marks that a thing or action is intended to serve as preparatory work for a later step or outcome.

In usage, valmisteluksi is most common in formal, bureaucratic, or legal language. It appears in government documents, policy drafts, and legislative drafting to designate activities or acts that are carried out to prepare for upcoming decisions, processes, or implementations. In everyday speech, speakers more often use phrases such as varten (for) or valmistelutyö (preparatory work) rather than the translative form.

Examples illustrate its function: Kysymys käsitellään valmisteluksi seuraavaa päätöstä varten. (The matter is being considered as preparation for the next decision.) Esitys on tarkoitettu valmisteluksi hallitusohjelman päivittämiseksi. (The proposal is intended as preparation for updating the government program.) Such usage highlights that the action or object is not the final outcome itself, but a step designed to prepare for a subsequent stage.

Relation to related terms: valmistelu refers to the overall process of preparing, while valmistelutyö denotes the preparatory work involved. Valmisteluksi stands out as a grammatical tool to express that a specific act or item is used in the capacity of preparation within a formal context.